New Lands and Attractions Coming to Disneyland and Walt Disney World

Disneyland and Walt Disney World are constantly updating and adding new attractions to keep up with new movies and expanding franchises. Both resorts have recently had new attractions open this year and are slated for brand new lands in the next two years. 

Here’s a look at the new attractions you can find as well as some of the additions currently in the works. 

Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! 

The previous Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction at Disneyland was just re-themed to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy film series and opened to fans in May. It’s the same ride system and infrastructure as the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, but now features characters and scenes related to Guardians of the Galaxy instead. Look for merchandise and themed foods in Disney California Adventure to complement the park’s newest ride. 

After Dark at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Pandora – The World of AVATAR

When the sun goes down, Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World comes alive now, offering guests some new and unique nighttime entertainment options. These include:

“Rivers of Light” – combination of live performances, floating lanterns, water screens, and swirling animal imagery

Kilimanjaro Safaris – this existing attraction will now offer a new nighttime adventure where you can watch the setting sun and see two new species to the attraction: African wild dogs and hyenas. 

Disney’s Animal Kingdom also recently held the grand opening for Pandora – The World of AVATAR. Here guests journey into the world of Pandora, with floating mountains, a bioluminescent forest, and the winged creatures known as Banshees. The biggest attraction in the new AVATAR land is AVATAR Flight of Passage, an E-ticket attraction that takes guests on an exciting flight on a Banshee over an alien world. 

Toy Story Land 

The entire identity of Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World has been in transition for several years now, and one of the biggest changes will be the highly anticipated Toy Story Land. The 11-acre land will transport guests to Andy’s backyard where they’ll feel like they are the same size as Woody and Buzz. Some of the new attractions for this land will be Slinky Dog roller coaster, Alien Saucers, and Toy Story Mania!  Toys like building blocks, game board pieces, plastic buckets, and shovels keep the theme consistent throughout the land. 

If you’ve visited either Disneyland Paris or Hong Kong Disneyland, you have probably already experienced Toy Story Land, but this will be the first one for the U.S. parks. 

Star Wars Land 

One of the most anticipated additions to the U.S. parks revolves around all things Star Wars.  Star Wars themed lands are coming to both Disneyland and Walt Disney World in 2019. This is scheduled to be the biggest single-themed land expansion, with both sitting at 14-acres each. 

Details continue to emerge on the new Star Wars Land as construction progresses. The initial announcement told fans that “these new lands will transport guests to a whole new Star Wars planet, including an epic Star Wars adventure that puts you in the middle of a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance.” 

There has also been discussion about a “remote village” that will form part of the new land as well, but not a lot of other details have been released just yet. 

The construction of Star Wars Land at Disneyland has changed the course of the Rivers of America, which is set to reopen later in 2017, while the new Star Wars Land at Walt Disney World will be located in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. 

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Note: Available plans and coverages may have changed since this blog was published.